Korean car maker SsangYong will be present at the 82nd Geneva Motor Show this March with a new version of their XIV concept car.

An evolution of the XIV-1 shown at IAA back in 2011, the XIV-2 step things up a bit by adding a one-touch automatic opening soft-top roof to provide ‘wind in the hair’ driving enjoyment, according to SsangYong.

That is to make it more appealing to the younger generation. The car itself is a crossover vehicle designed for fun. The XIV stands for eXciting User Interface Vehicle, whatever that means. The car looks too like the new Mitsubishi Outlander to us.

The XIV-2 measures at 4,166mm (length) x 1,820mm (width) x 1,566mm (height) and with a 2,600mm wheelbase. The car’s powered by an eco-friendly, fuel efficient 1.6 litre diesel and petrol engines meeting Euro VI emission regulations.

Are we the only ones that are overly excited with yesterday’s Super Bowl Car commercials? I’m sure we aren’t, therefore we’ve decided to create this big art image with a direct link to all those ads that we think were the Best 2012 Super Bowl Car Commercials. Just another entry door to the most expensive commercials of the year. Have a look!

And you? What do you think? Did you like those Super Bowl Commercials? What’s your favorite?

Check ‘em out here.

This might sound like a joke to you, but a UK company has decided to bring back the Peel brand to life and produce the P50 and Trident models.

They are already taking orders for these two, mainly because there’s not much engineering work they have to do. The cars are pretty much identical to the original models once built in the Isle of Man.

They are as small, and as slow. The source of power is a 49 cc two-stroke gasoline engine with exactly 3.35 hp! The new producer however, will offer two electric powertrains as well. The first one will have apparently 1.6 hp and a top speed of 15 mph. The second, top of the range version will get a massive 4 hp, enough for a top speed of 28mph. The range is about 50 miles.

Actually, the speed it goes depends on the size and weight of the driver, and how much he or she had for breakfast. You wouldn’t wanna go fast in this car anyway, seeing as the only crumple zones are your knees.

It does have its advantages, the Peel. It is so small you can drive it into your office, literally. That was proved by Jeremy Clarkson in an episode of Top Gear. He drove the car into the BBC building and spent a full business day in it (see video below). So yes, you can drive it in the office, just be advised it doesn’t have reverse.

Not sure where, but the guys behind this project must have seen a market for such a thing. Apart from everything, who would drive this ridiculous car in public? It will brighten everyone’s day, but it will cost you your dignity, and quite a lot of money actually.

The price for the P50 is, apparently, $10,772. That’s like four times the price of a TATA Nano, and that at least has four wheels on it!

Peel via Autoblog

Following the first official trailer for Series 18, Top Gear dot com now releases a bunch of photos previewing the brand-new season. Again, it’s full of spoilers, so if you don’t want to look just know that Series 18 is going to be one of the richest and most fun series ever. There’s lots of super cars involved, and many celebrities, and a couple of new Stigs.

Top Gear Series 18 will kick off January 29.

Pics from TopGear.com

There used to be a time when cars got their own trade shows, it still happens as we’ve just been reminded of in Detroit, while on the other side of the country in San Francisco the geeks would meet and salivate over graphics cards and CPUs that think faster than the human brain. But all of that is starting to change, there are now as many software developers working in the auto industry as engineers, so it’s only a matter of time till car companies start paying attention to consumer electronic shows.

Well, it’s happened. In Las Vegas.

Would you ever expect to see PCWorld, Panasonic, Samsung sharing a hall with Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Chevrolet? The 2012 Consumer Electronics Show held January 10-13 in Las Vegas isn’t the first time this has happened, but is certainly the biggest, and demonstrates the fuzzy lines between electronics and cars, where some of the most hyped stands were auto companies showing off their smartphone apps or augmented reality windscreens and rear view mirrors.

It all starts the night before the show opens with a headlining pre-show called the Digital Experience! where a selected few of the 1,200 CES exhibitors put their best foot forward, and if you’re looking for car gear at an electronics show this is the heads up on what to expect when doors open the next day.

As you’d expect, all the major brands currently for sale in America have a display, they’d be crazy to miss this, Detroit is for die hard car fans who want to smell exhaust fumes and talk revs per minute, but CES brings in the regular folk who care about comfort and things that makes their lives easier. Car companies understand this, so you won’t find prototypes and supercars on display. At CES it’s all about car gadgets.

Ford have been a regular, with CEO Alan Mulally giving a keynote the last three years, in fact his presentations have been eagerly awaited, and this year Mercedes-Benz CEO Dieter Zetsche took the stage as well, a possibly significant event in the convergence of cars and geeks and could see more carmakers recognizing the value of these types of shows. After all, consumer media reaches a wider audience than traditional car media.

2012 is shaping up to be a great year for convergence of automotive engineering and consumer electronics as more car makers add GPS and mapping, Satellite entertainment, anti-crash and obstacle avoidance technology, communication connectivity, and augmented reality directly into the vehicles without requiring third party hardware. Buyers of today’s vehicles are finding more complete packages to choose from, and in many cases now the consumer tech convergence is starting to be a deal breaker for people interested in maximum safety behind the wheel, or maximum comfort for passengers.

Ford took centre stage amongst the auto makers with their MyFord Touch vehicle communication system, which has already been seen on the Edge, but is now upgraded to be easier to use with a redesigned display, faster rendering, and larger fonts. The 3D navigation also gets a much needed upgrade, with faster graphics processor allowing for more detailed buildings and scenery.

Mercedes-Benz are also proud of their system named mbrace2 which is being developed for all of the makers cars including the Smart car brand. Whilst feature set is similar to Ford, or any manufacturer for that matter, Zetsche confirmed that automatic updates will be possible remotely rather than through the dealer channel, and the system will be voice controlled to avoid taking hands off the wheel.

Less impressive was Chevrolet who brought along the latest update to their MyLink software, bringing features previously seen in the Cadillac to other models such a the Spark and Sonic, both scheduled for inclusion in the 2013 models. MyLink connects through the car owner’s smartphone using Pandora or Stitcher apps, and the output is shown on a 7″ screen in the center console.

Japanese manufacturers have been at the forefront of technology in their vehicles for years, but American and European badges seem to have the edge, with Honda and Subaru only announcing cloud based infotainment with “thousands of channels”. Even if the technology is new and innovative in cars, anyone already familiar with existing cloud entertainment might be forgiven for yawning. Frankly we were expecting more from the Japanese.

The obvious counterbalance to Ford, Chevrolet, and Mercedes-Benz is South Korea’s Kia Motors who showed off continued enhancements to their UVO eServices, a voice controlled car management system. This is an app for smartphones giving a range of 15 features including alerts for service scheduling, engine fault reports, or guiding you to your car in busy carparks. Expect to see UVO eServices on all 2013 models.

Aside from carmakers hoping to offer consumer services to buyers as a new revenue stream, existing satellite radio providers SiriusXM are looking to retain their market share by offering added options such live game broadcasts from one click on the player’s scorecard. The company announced 21 million subscribers, and is aggressively committed to grow its customer base.

Navigation supplier Telenav introduced their new iPhone app named Scout which is capable of displaying POI information directly on the smartphone screen or the screen of the in-car nav screen. Another iPhone app launched from Escort, a police radar detector manufacturer, now allows drivers to share locations of speed traps and radar guns.

Perhaps one of the more interesting innovations on display at CES is aimed at racers who need to record their actions and the track around their car, GoPro, maker of a wearable extreme sports HD video camera debuted their BacPac system allowing upto 50 GoPro cameras to be linked with the driver or navigator choosing which feed to record. With 50 cameras on board, both on the driver helmet, dash, outside the vehicle, even under the wheel arch, video output could be spectacular.

CES 2012 certainly wasn’t just for geeks, hardcore motorheads with a penchant for toys found plenty to wow them.

The Malaysian state investment corporation, Khazanah, today announced they will be divesting their 42.7% share in Proton Holdings Berhad, a state owned car manufacturing company setup in 1979 to advance Malaysia’s industrial capabilities.

Proton manufacture their own vehicles including the popular Satria model, and in association with Mitsubishi Motors of Japan, have in recent years gone from making cars according to plan, to designing their own models for sale in global markets.

DRB-Hicom, a privately held company owned by Malaysian billionaire Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary, will buy the shares for 5.50 ringgit per share, valuing the deal at 1.29bn ringgit (US$410m). DRB-Hilcom manufactures Volkswagen, Honda, and Mercedes-Benz cars under license for the South-East Asian market and this development will be seen as adding strength to their existing relationships with the promise of being able to add scale to existing production.

The deal could double in value once a mandatory buyout for Proton shares is initiated, but is not expected to meet objections. Control of Proton will see DRB-Hicom sitting on two car plants with combined annual output of 350,000 vehicles. Funds for completing the takeover could come from internal funds, or more likely a consortium of investment funding.

Proton cars, once a dominant force in Malaysian car sales has over the last five years suffered a huge drop from 60% of the domestic market to around 30%, much of it due to increasing GDP of the country and rising standards of living. In an effort to increase brand prestige Proton bought out the ailng British car company Lotus from bankrupt Romano Artioli, a move the company hoped would lift public perceptions of their brand, help Proton find new dealers and increase engineering capabilities.

It is not known if DRB-Hilcom will retain the British car company or if part of the finances for buying out Proton might be realized by selling Lotus. Readers of Motorward.com will recall that in May 2011 Proton reached an out of court agreement to consolidate the “Lotus” and “Team Lotus” brands under Lotus Group, allowing Proton to develop their formula one racing ambitions.

Khazanah had been trying unsuccessfully for the last couple of years to find a partnership for Proton after Mitsubishi signaled they weren’t willing to make an investment in the ailing automaker. Volkswagen and General Motors had both been touted as potential investors who would help Proton upgrade plant and introduce new models, but both failed to come to agreement.

DRB-Hilcom’s international contracts are expected to be useful in increasing exports of Proton cars in the coming years, especially to already developed markets looking for alternatives to Japanese automobiles.

The move by DRB-Hilcom now places the company in the position of being required to buy out remaining shareholders, which will see Proton Holdings become a wholly owned subsidiary of DRB-Hilcom, and ironically, places the manufacturer in Volkswagen’s sphere of influence without any formal commitment to preserve jobs or invest in plant from VW.

Jeremy Clarkson, international man of mystery and rightful inheritor of the 007 tag, oops, scratch that, presenter of the BBC’s Top Gear program has done it again. He’s no stranger to controversy but has he finally gone too far?

The government of India is threatening diplomatic isolation of the UK over a spat about toilet humor for the annual Christmas show filmed in India. Britain’s Prime Minister has been asked to apologize.

The show screened on UK televisions during the holiday season, but the Indian High Commission in London has only recently sent a letter demanding an apology to the BBC, calling the show offensive after viewing a toilet seat on the trunk of a Jaguar, and hearing numerous jokes about food and toilets on public trains.

Clarkson commented in the show that the toilet seat on the Jaguar was perfect for India because “everyone knows visitors to India get the trots”, a reference to poor water standards and general hygiene.

Quoting a diplomat working in the Indian High Commission who told the BBC “too many people” called the Commission to complain and were “very upset” that Indian culture, history, society, and local sensitivities were made fun of. The BBC admitted to having received 23 complaints.

British Prime Minister David Cameron who made a cameo in the show as the crew left London for India is facing pressure to apologize after saying to the crew “stay away from India”, an oblique reference to a previous Top Gear show that made fun of Mexico and caused a similar diplomatic dispute when Clarkson was filmed disparaging Mexicans for being lazy, flatulent and feckless, and that Mexican food is “like sick with cheese on it.”

The Director General of the BBC, Mark Thompson, was forced to respond writing a letter published in British newspapers in which he described Jeremy Clarkson as one of the UK’s leading cultural exports, and stating that the BBC would respond to the Indian High Commission’s complaint in “due course”.

Raja Sekhar, the Indian High Commissioner to London said he was very disappointed with Top Gear because his staff actively helped facilitate the Clarkson and the Top Gear team’s visit to India, and that staff in the Commission felt let down after expecting a better show that would have highlighted reasons to visit India, rather than to mock the country.

In applying for visas and filming rights, Top Gear had stated in their outline that the program would be looking at India’s “beautiful scenery” and “local color”. A British Parliamentarian whose parents came from India, Mr Keith Vaz, went further saying the program directors had not disclosed their real reason for wanting to visit India, and that an element of dishonesty was apparent to him.

Trade relations between the UK and India could be damaged he said, and a quick apology from Clarkson and the BBC would avert further diplomatic deterioration and restore good relations between the two countries. Perhaps this is a lesson for other car programs, if they want to compete with Top Gear, start offending the cultural sensitivities of important trade allies.

Coming from a leading manufacturer of body panels and components, the Falcon F7 Series 1 is an American supercar fit to take on Ferrari, and proving that fast agile mid-engined rear wheel drive cars aren’t just the preserve of Italian or Japanese car companies. Entering production in 2012, the Falcon F7 is unique for being a testosterone injected car with the looks of a speedy two seater, but with American customers firmly in mind.

Falcon Motor Sports debuted the first prototype F7 at the 2011 Detroit Motor Show, with designer Jeff Lemke promising a bright future for the car, but refusing to take orders while the prototype was developed into a production version and tested. Priced between $195,000 and $250,000 the car sits at the lower end of the supercar price spectrum, and with production limited in the first two years, Falcon are hoping their order books will fill up giving the company time to ramp up to full production of 100 vehicles per year in 2014.

The F7 isn’t a badged production vehicle with race specs or trim, the entire car is built in the Falcon factory at Holly Michigan from in-house designed components and custom parts. To date three colors have been seen, a matte black prototype, an Apple red prototype, and the first production model serial number 001 in metallic orange seen at the 2012 Detroit Motor Show.

A race tested and proven aluminum monocoque chassis from Superlite Cars is the basis of the car, onto which the carbon-fiber body panels are attached, along with a Corvette naturally aspirated 7 liter V-8 generating 620 horsepower at 6600 rpm. A Ricardo six speed transaxle manual gearbox is mated in place, and estimates from Falcon say the F7 Series 1 can do 0-30 in 3.3 seconds in the light configuration, and 3.6 seconds with all the options, either of which is plenty fast enough for most drivers.

Top speed is slated at 190-200mph and the quarter mile down to 10.9 seconds in factory configuration. Stopping power is provided by Bosch anti-lock vented high performance calipers, 6-piston 15 inchers on the front, and 4-piston 14 inchers on the rear, coming from 60-0 in under 100 feet. Total weight is a low 2,785lbs (1,263kg), light enough to promise exhilarating performance on track or road.

Falcon Motor Sports are entering the market with several years parts and body manufacturing behind them, being one of the top Dodge Viper and Plymouth Prowler body stylists. Forecasts call for 15 cars in 2012, 25 in 2013, and a hundred a year thereafter. All vehicle trim is hand-made by skilled craftsmen employed in-house, and the car assembled to GT spec in a modern quality conscious setting with rigid standards.

It will be interesting to see this car put to the test against other high performance supercars in its class, and with the look of the F7 so similar to the Ferrari 512 of the 1980s inevitable comparisons will be made.

Just three years ago the big three US automakers General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler were against the wall pleading with Washington for handouts and protection from bankruptcy, and this week in Detroit analysts would be forgiven for taking a back step as European and Asian car manufacturers now look increasingly vulnerable due to economic crisis, whilst the Americans seem to have recovered and are showing off a good range of newly designed autos.

From near collapse to a third straight increase in sales US car sales are signaling a vibrant future for auto sales in the US, and 2012 forecasts between 4% to 9% indicate Americans haven’t yet bought into the message of gloom from the Eurozone crisis. Detroit’s big three have also been bullish with each reclaiming lost market share across the board, including markets for niche vehicles and the yet to become mainstream electric vehicle market.

2012 looks promising in the US and Canada for all major car manufacturers, the market expanded 10% on 2010 sales figures over 2011. General Motors, Ford, Volkswagen and Hyundai are all looking to be more aggressive as they realize sluggish sales in Europe could downgrade profit forecasts. Most of the major brands have rebuilt and consolidated showroom presence and are looking to 2012 and beyond to cement sales momentum.

US car sales are unlikely to return to 2008 levels any time soon when 17 million new cars were bought, but with expectations of between 13 million and 14 million for the next 3-4 years the market is by no means out for the count. Despite the difficult times the US market has not collapsed and the development of new models from Detroit indicates a healthy future once again.

Globally we should expect more uncertainty, but with all car makers setting their sights on new models, alternative fuel sources, and 21st century technology we can expect the US market’s strength to be a litmus test of industry competitiveness and viability. The slowdown in US domestic sales may seem permanent as younger generations forsake car ownership and adopt mobile phones, however this is disingenuous thinking given the imminent arrival of driverless vehicles, a technology being pioneered in America.

Excitement in Detroit this week was evident from all sectors, and demonstrates a healthier competition than has been seen for many years. Fiat controlled Chrysler debuted the new Dodge Dart to its lineup, Ford demos the all new Fusion, General Motors shows off a smaller Cadillac, Volkswagen the Jetta and renewed Beetle, Honda with the 2012 Accord and Civic, and many more to whet the appetite.

GM, Ford, and Chrysler will be happy leading into 2012 with rebounding sales despite weaker performance in Europe for GM, and Chrysler having withdrawn from international markets. Ford especially have been expanding plant and equipment in the UK and increasing European sales of their smaller cars, and further reclamation in the US market will buoy shareholders.

It will be interesting to see how market share plays out in North America during 2012, will Detroit’s big three continue to grow, can Volkswagen meet their ambitious goals of achieving 6% market share, how will Toyota rebound after losing 2.3% share in 2011, and is Honda up to the task of shipping product after their disastrous slump from Japan’s tsunami?

The 7 finalists for the European car of the year (2012) title have already been chosen, and you know what? They’re all boring!

Exactly when the world is roaring with all the NAIAS releases, Europe as chosen a bunch of dull cars to fight for the title. And the finalists are…

Citroën DS5

Fiat Panda

Volkswagen Up!

Range Rover Evoque

Ford Focus

Toyota Yaris

Opel Ampera/Chevrolet Volt

Winner will be announced in the beginning of March at the 82nd Geneva Motor Show. A poll of 59 journalists from 22 different European countries will choose the new car of the year after 2011′s choice, the Nissan Leaf… talking about boring cars.

Let the least bad win, eventually the Evoque!

What a day! Detroit is the automotive center of the world through the next week, and NAIAS as been delivering a crazy amount of fantastic new cars, pictures and news.

We wanted to summarize Day 1 (Press Preview Day 1) into a single post, therefore we’ve decided to compile the best official pictures of the day in this gallery.

We’ll be updating it as soon as we have more from Detroit so, stay tuned!

[View with PicLens]

Grand Detroit, Sunday, January 8, 2012 – The Gallery at MGM Grand Detroit… right, it was yesterday, still you shouldn’t worry that much as there wasn’t much of a chance for you to be in, specially considering the 100 tickets available at the “very low price” of $500, plus a few specially invited guests.

We weren’t there either, but after watching the promo video we’ve been eagerly waiting for the first photos of this culinary and automotive luxury event to be out.

Check our “The Gallery” after the jump.

[View with PicLens]

Global accounting giant KPMG have released their annual survey of motor industry insiders, summarizing their findings as “The world is moving from car ownership to car usership”, a perhaps not surprising assessment given the general trend to mass public transport, city dwelling, and the rollout of personal public transport as used at major airports.

Citing responses from their survey, KPMG state there is a perception within the auto industry that tomorrow’s drivers won’t want to drive at all, and will be even less interested in owning their vehicle. Prevailing opinion is that drivers will become passengers in self-driven vehicles, thus freeing up time to catch up on emails, read the news, or use the built-in connectivity for video chatting with friends.

If this future eventuates, major carmakers could find themselves facing new competition from IT-based companies that have better access to software developers and mapping tools. Certainly corporations like Google and IBM have been active in testing driverless technology with existing vehicles, but how long will it be until they start designing their own cars.

With changing uses of automobiles, the question will be raised, are traditional carmakers capable of adapting to please the market, or will they need to start partnering with IT companies and smaller niche design workshops to retain their market dominance?

At the same time, designers are asking if internal combustion engines are suitable in cars that will need to be precisely controlled by artificially aware drivers. Future success will likely demand alternative power generation for vehicles from the biggest manufacturers who already have economies of scale.

Electric vehicles are expected to become the dominant form of motoring in the coming decades, and already some major carmakers such as Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Honda amongst the first to bring a vehicle to dealer showrooms.

Lighter weight bodies and vehicle trim will be required for electric motors, failing which, batteries will remain large and wasteful, thus reducing usefulness as charge times necessarily remain high.Some designers have hoped for hydrogen powered cars, but with faster advances in battery technology and carbon fiber bodies coming into mainstream, electric vehicles seem to be winning the race.

New developments in energy recapture from brakes, and less need for heavy power steering systems as vehicles transition to driverless mode means electric vehicles, or vehicles with electric power trains, will be standard.

Most significantly, the further trend to megacities, higher traffic congestion, and street parking bans is fueling demand, presently unmet except by taxi, for car users to hail and ride, rather than invest in expensive garage places and ongoing vehicle insurance.

Demographically more than 50% of the world’s population now live in cities, this number is rising, and huge megacities such as Tokyo, New York, Shanghai, Lagos are making changes to vehicle design an imperative.

However, with traffic congestion being an issue, and too few parking spaces being available, there is some speculation car manufacturers may need to expand their leasing divisions and offer car usership with sharing of vehicles for people not able or willing to buy.

Car companies would in effect become both manufacturers and service providers. KPMG coin the phrase “intelligent mobility services”, which would include a driverless vehicle leased for a time slot, internet connectivity suitable for video streaming and browsing, and journey planning.

Driverless vehicles bring their own challenges and opportunities, not least is where to store them and how to hail them, with smartphone apps or partnerships with mobile phone companies being the two obvious solutions, leading to KPMG speculating that demand from motor companies for prime curbside real estate for short term parking or pickup and drop-off points.

Executives in the automotive industry have begun to realize that with or without driverless vehicles, more people are demanding ‘always on’ connectivity, and as vehicles enter production with more safety features such as road ahead awareness, available parking spots, traffic adjusted speed etc we can expect integrated passenger connectivity to be provided as well.

All of this implies more complex industries, the question is will automakers become vertically integrated corporations buying up niche suppliers to compete against each other, or will they prefer partnerships that are more fluid?

What will happen to barriers of entry into the automotive market, will smaller niche manufacturers be able to stay independent, or could a new paradigm evolve where smaller manufacturers, property investors, and software designers partner up? A raft of new players are poised to enter the market, notably from developing countries like China and India.

Globally these manufacturers haven’t yet flexed their muscles and are known for producing cars based on older western models, but as happened with Eastern European manufacturers, so too will it happen with developing world producers, they will begin to employ their own designers, and compete in the same space as American, Japanese, and European carmakers.

To date the bigger existing carmakers have kept new technology development in-house, buying in expertise when needed or employing graduate engineers and training them up, particularly when it comes to emissions, noise, monocoque design, brakes, steering. It seems reasonable to assume established carmakers would prefer to continue in-house development.

Exactly what this means for the industry in the next few decades is a matter of opinion, yet it can’t be denied innovative approaches to motoring are being seen outside of traditional carmaking. Suppliers and inventors of technologies needed for electric cars for example carbon fiber and battery technology are also realizing that close partnerships with larger corporations may in fact not be in their best interests.

Expect to see more cooperation between design or engineering studios and carmakers and spare parts suppliers. In this new urban reality, carmakers are discovering old paradigms no longer work as well as they did, and a younger generation is more comfortable with an iphone in their hand than a steering wheel.

Industry executives have a steep learning curve ahead of them if they aim to keep their companies relevant in the 21st century, and for the first time, some may face serious tests of viability as they rush to introduce electric or alternatively powered vehicles to a market hungry for change.

Lower demand is blamed on the economic situation facing the UK, a market where high demand for replacement vehicles usually continues unabated. 2011 was only the second time since 2000 when new vehicle registrations fell below two million, the previous occasion being 2009, a depression year. In addition, a car scrap scheme introduced by the government in 2010 resulted in higher than expected registrations, negatively impacting new registrations in 2011.

Regular new car purchasing is a national obsession in the UK as buyers upgrade every few years to ensure the number plate of their car always dates the vehicle as a late model car. Every 6 months the number identifier changes (3rd and 4th characters) on a UK number plate change, allowing observers to accurately age a vehicle.

Since July, sales of new cars have been declining, and first quarter figures for 2013 are not expected to improve much, with a weak economy and slow growth predicted. Fleet buyers, who made up 60% of registrations in 2011 are expected to dominate again in 2012.

Analysts had been predicting a 4.5% fall, and markets reacted favorably to the 4.4% announcement, though UK motor manufacturers out-performed expectations with increased production, possibly due to rising national sentiment related to Eurozone difficulties and the election of David Cameron and his Conservative party led coalition.

During 2011 UK car manufacturers made 1.35 million vehicles, an increase of nearly 400,000 units from 2009 figures. Nearly all of the 11 major manufacturers with factories in the UK have committed to boost production, with SMMT quoting new investment in production lines totaling four billion pounds in 2011/12.

With new models and ongoing investment in the automotive industry the UK is projecting strong manufacturing output for the next five to ten years, indicating that smaller vehicles remain a popular and growing segment in Europe and for UK export markets.

Smaller cars such as the Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus, Vauxhall Corsa, Volkswagen Golf, and Vauxhall Astra dominated sales figures, with diesel vehicles and low emissions vehicles a trending niche in a country with narrow streets and high levels of population density.

High performance cars and luxury cars have also seen good news in the investment stakes, with McLaren having started production of their MP4-12C in February, Aston Martin announcing it’s Cygnet supercar will be manufactured in the UK, Jaguar Land Rover awarding two billion pounds of contracts to suppliers for the new Range Rover Evoque, and Rolls Royce commencing upgrades to their Assembly Hall and Surface Finish Centre, to be completed in 2012.

Amongst mid range vehicles BMW is committing 500 million pounds to new facilities for UK production of the 2012 MINI Coupe and Roadster, and Nissan announced that the new Qashqai will be produced at the company’s Sunderland plant.

Daimler, makers of the mid-range and luxury Mercedes-Benz line of automobiles has declared a record volume of sales for 2011 disproving market expectations of a drop in sales due to reduced liquidity of households owing to the global financial crisis.

Achieving year end sales of 1,260,912 Mercedes Benz units, chief executive of Daimler Dieter Zetsche confirmed this amounts to an 8% increase over 2010 figures, and demonstrates continued interest in the marque.

Factoring in an additional 100,000 vehicles from the company’s popular Smart car range, and loss-making Maybach premium vehicles brought total car sales for the group to 1.36 million cars.

Sales in the EU predictably fell, though by 1% only indicating the Eurozone troubles haven’t affected luxury vehicle sales to a great extent.

North American sales saw strong continuing growth of 13% and 245,231 units across all models, however Far Eastern markets saw rapid spectacular increases of 31%, and total sales of 193,339 in China.

Daimler announced in November that the ultra-luxurious Maybach marque will be discontinued and staff transferred to other production lines due to poor sales.\

A-Class production is expected to ramp up through 2012 as the line is revamped to target younger buyers. As well, the new CLS Shooting Brake and SL coupe vehicles will be launched globally.

Launch of the B-Class and M-Class models in November was well received by customers contributing to best volume increase per month, beating the previous record from two years previous. 113,859 units sold in November, an increase of 8.3%.

In 2012 Daimler is projecting production targets of 1.52 million vehicles including Smart cars, a nearly 20% increase on 2011 production totals.

Production of S-Class and M-Class vehicles will also be started in the group’s Indian facilities to take advantage of local taxation laws, with the A-Class scheduled for Indian production in 2013. India and neighboring countries are seen as major growth markets for Daimler, with expectations the market could grow to compare with Chinese and American sales.

Revenues in 2011 pleased market analysts, topping 105 billion euros with expected profits of between 8.8 and 8.9 billion euros to be declared. Bodo Uebber, Daimler’s Chief Financial Officer also stated that shareholders could expect a healthy year end dividend. The company is known for spending 40% of profits on shareholder dividends.

Dacia Lodgy was first revealed as an ice racer, and it put on a great show at Val Thorens. Now Dacia revealed the car in production trim ahead of its debut at 2012 Geneva Motor Show.

The Lodgy is an MPV designed with the usual Dacia cues of robust and functional design, offering an affordable alternative to those looking for a fun and easy to run family bus. Dacia says the Lodgy is a new car for the price of a used car!

They haven’t revealed any details on the car’s dimensions, interior, trims or engine lineup. Well, they actually have said the car has a length of 4.5 meters and has a roomy interior with enough space even in the third row, but that’s about it.

Geneva show will reveal more about the car, where it will be on display along with its racing version. Two cars are contesting this winter’s series, shared by a particularly strong line-up of drivers: Alain Prost, Nicolas Prost and Evens Stievenart. Alain Prost tops the provisional standings with a score of two wins from three rounds ahead of the championship’s traditional Christmas break.

The name Lodgy, is derived from the English word ‘lodge’ and refers directly to the model’s ability to comfortably accommodate a family and its luggage. It joins the Duster crossover, Sandero and Sandero Stepway supermini, Logan: saloon, seven-seat estate (MCV), van and pick-up in Dacia’s range in 2012.

This is one of the saddest news we’ve ever delivered: Belgian journalist Michael Cornette was killed during an Ariel Atom test drive.

Michael was riding shotgun in an Atom 3 when the driver Mattieu Desmet lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a silo. The impact was so severe that the silo shifted 10 inches. That kinda hints at the speed they were traveling at.

The 30-year-old driver is currently placed in an induced coma and is suffering from severe kidney damage. The Atom they crashed in was loaned to them for a test drive in built up for the upcoming Brussels Motor Show. Perhaps the Airel’s complete lack of safety features has contributed to the accident and its outcome. It is, after all, a track car and has to be driven in full racing gear.

May he rest in peace.

Autoblog.nl via GTspirit

From 2013 Chinese car maker Geely will officially enter the British market. So in preparation for that, they sent the Emgrand EC7 to NCAP to gets its safety rating.

This Chinese saloon didn’t do very well, earning 4 stars out of 5. Now, that’s not something for Geely to boast, but you can’t mock it either because the list of 4-star new cars in the UK includes names like Jaguar XF, Renault Fluence ZE, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Fiat Panda and the MG6.

And you wouldn’t complain about the EC7′s safety rating when you realize it has a base price of just under £10,000, and comes with a five-year, 100,000 miles warranty.

The car will be available in the UK with the choice of two body styles, four door saloons and five door hatchbacks and with the choice of 1.5 or 1.8-litre petrol engines.  There will be an automatic transmission option for 1.8-litre versions.

Wards Auto announced its shortlist of 10 best engines for 2012. And it’s dominated by 4-cylinder GDI units.

Obviously fuel efficiency has a lot to do with choosing best engines these days and it was one of the most important factors in Wards selection as well. Editors scored each engine based on power, technology, observed fuel economy and noise, vibration and harshness characteristics. There was no instrumented testing.

And the only condition to be eligible, apart from availbility in the U.S. no later than first-quarter 2012, was a base price below $55,000.

As mentioned, direct fuel injection technology was the winning card this year and a record seven of the final tn engines feature this technology. It offers many economical advantages without any compromise on performance. Force induction was also very welcome, as there’s four turbocharged and one supercharged powerplant on the list.

Here’s the list of Ward’s 10 best 2012 engines. We don’t agree with all of them and would like to add a few. What about you?

• 3.0L TFSI Supercharged DOHC V-6 (Audi A6)
• 2.0L N20 Turbocharged DOHC I-4 (BMW Z4/528i)
• 3.0L N55 Turbocharged DOHC I-6 (BMW 335i coupe)
• 3.6L Pentastar DOHC V-6 (Chrysler 300S/Jeep Wrangler)
• 2.0L EcoBoost DOHC I-4 (Ford Edge)
• 5.0L DOHC V-8 (Ford Mustang Boss 302)
• 2.0L Turbocharged DOHC I-4 (Buick Regal GS)
• 1.6L DOHC I-4 (Hyundai Accent/Kia Soul)
• 2.0L Skyactiv DOHC I-4 (Mazda3)
• 3.5L DOHC V-6 HEV (Infiniti M35h)

Wards

At first these augmented reality apps Mercedes has come up with look pretty cool. They are certainly amusing to play with for a few minutes. But it’s all a bit of a faff to be honest. You download an app, get one of these special cards, scan it through the camera into the app, all so you can see a 3D model of the C-Class?! Well, to be fair that configurator bit is cool, but normal apps can do that just fine. Sure it’s good for publicity,  but we’re sure this technology has better uses.

Here’s how it works:

Augmented Reality gives us the opportunity of presenting things in a new interactive way. It is now possible to experience the Mercedes-Benz Fitnessbike and the
C-Class MercedesSport in a new dimension on your mobile device.

The functionality is simple: The real world is filmed by the camera integrated in the mobile device. With the aid of the camera, the app is searching for a picture of a card which is especially designed for the app. When the camera recognized the picture, you can see on the display that the app transfers 3D information on the card.

The Mercedes-Benz Accessories’ applications show either the Fitnessbike or the C-Class MercedesSport as a 3D model on the card in the user’s hands. By turning the card or moving the camera the model can be regarded from almost every angle and in the minutest details.